1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the fields of waste disposal and scrap salvaging. More specifically, it relates to a mechanism for reclaiming oil from used oil filters by crushing them into a compact form. At the same time, the crushed oil filters may then be safely disposed or salvaged.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Standard replaceable automotive oil filters have metal outer casing and inner filter elements to trap impurities. In the past, spent or used filters were simply disposed of with other trash. It is now recognized, however, that when large numbers of spent oil filters are accumulated and disposed of together in such a manner, environmental damage may follow.
In recent years, mechanisms for recycling the oil trapped in spent oil filters have been devised. One such mechanism, shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,927,085, comprises a specialized crusher including an upright compartment sized to receive an individual oil filter, which may rest on a grate at the bottom thereof. A crusher plate above the filter is guided for vertical sliding movement in the compartment and is moved up and down by a hydraulic jack. Downward movement of the crusher plate collapses the oil filter casing to compact condition and oil contained in it passes through the bottom grate into a spout leading to a receptacle. When a desired pressure has been reached, the jack automatically lifts the crusher plate and the collapsed casing can be removed for salvaging. All components of the apparatus are incorporated in a compact cabinet which may have bottom drawer for the oil receptacle and a bin in which the collapsed casings can be collected.
A disadvantage of mechanisms of this type resides in the fact that its operator must remove the crushed casings manually from the crushing compartment. This disadvantage exposes the operator to the likelihood that he will get oil all over his hands when removing the crushed casings from the compartment, and to the possibility that he will have his hands cut by jagged metal edges of the crushed casings when doing so.
The present invention is an improvement for an apparatus for recycling oil filters which obviates these deficiencies in the prior art by comprising a crushing compartment which includes a means by which obviates these deficiencies in the prior art by comprising a crushing compartment which includes a means by which the crushed casings of used oil filters may be swept from the compartment into a receptacle without requiring the operator to introduce his hand into the crushing compartment to manually remove the crushed casings therefrom.